Paradigm for Parity® Leaders Commend Norfolk Southern for Appointing Cindy Earhart as the Company’s Next CFO

NEW YORK – August 15, 2017 – Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC), a Fortune Global 500 company, this week announced the appointment of Cindy Earhart to the role of Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, marking an important step toward the Paradigm for Parity® coalition’s goal of achieving gender parity across leadership levels by 2030.

“As CFO of Norfolk Southern, Cindy will be the only sitting female CFO at any major North American railway company,” said Ellen Kullman, Co-Chair of Paradigm for Parity®. “On behalf of Paradigm for Parity, I congratulate Cindy on her achievement and we applaud Norfolk Southern’s leadership in promoting gender inclusion both within its own organization, within its industry and within the corporate world more broadly. Research from across business sectors proves that companies with more gender diversity are more successful and we are certain that Cindy, with her solid financial background and proven track record as a senior executive, will be even more evidence of this fact in her new role.”

About Paradigm for Parity®

The Paradigm for Parity® coalition launched in December 2016 with a commitment from dozens of major companies to achieve gender parity in corporate leadership by 2030. The coalition was founded by a group of women with extensive experience in the corporate world who want to leverage their track records to help companies create a more gender diverse workforce. The group is led by Jewelle Bickford, Partner, Evercore Wealth Management, Ellen Kullman, former Chairman and CEO, DuPont and Sandra Beach Lin, retired CEO and President, Calisolar Inc.

When simultaneously implemented, the steps in the 5-Point Action Plan will catalyze change and enable substantial progress towards gender parity by 2030. The five steps are:

Eliminating or minimizing unconscious bias in the workplace;

Significantly increasing the number of women in senior operating roles, with the near-term goal of at least 30% representation in all leadership groups;

Basing career progress on business results and performance, rather than physical presence in the office; and

Providing sponsors, not just mentors, to women well positioned for long term success.

To assist companies in meeting the goal of gender parity by 2030, Paradigm for Parity® has developed a toolkit comprised of useful and practical actions a company can take, with a focus on better understanding the baseline, improving intake and managing with a diversity mindset.

Click here to see what other CEOs are saying about their commitment to achieving gender parity. For regular updates on the progress Paradigm for Parity® is making closing the gender gap, check out the coalition’s Twitter feed @p4parity.